Herman’s Hermits’ Peter Noone was a 60s star.
His thick hair and youthful charisma make him resemble Justin Beiber or Harry Styles.
One significant distinction exists between this former teen star and those today…
As Herman’s Hermits’ frontman, Peter Noone rose to fame in his teens with his charming face and singing. Touring America and Britain, the band became famous.
The band’s first UK number one was 1964’s “I’m Into Something Good.”
Noone added, “Herman’s Hermits sold millions of records before anyone even saw us, which just doesn’t happen now.
I didn’t know what I was doing—my stage persona was a shy little child, which I was.
Noone and his band had over 20 hits and outsold the Beatles in 1965. I’m Into Something Good, No Milk Today, and There’s A Kind of Hush (All Over the World) were their biggest hits.
By 17, the band had a million-dollar record deal, and Elvis Presley sang “I’m Henry the Eighth, I Am” in 1965, one of Noone’s career highlights.
“He was making fun of me, but who cares?” Noone says. It was Elvis!
Even as a child, Noone lived the rocker lifestyle.
“Although without the drugs bit,” he says. “That never interested me.”
But what about all the other rock ‘n’ roll habits?
“Sure. We were 16 and 17, so we could stay up all night, go on a rampage, then wake up for interviews and shows. A great time.”
Noone, 64, tours with Britain’s Solid Silver 60s Show. His fellow Hermits veterans won’t be accompanying him, but The Tremeloes’ Brian Poole (“Do You Love Me” and “Twist And Shout”) and Brian Hyland (“Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polka Dot Bikini”) will.
“You never get tired of the buzz of touring, and it’s good to know we can still pull an audience,” says Noone. People come up to me and sing old tunes, but I don’t know how to respond.
Nobody has lived in California since the 1970s and adapted to its healthy lifestyle.
“Not many people survived the debauchery of the sixties,” he continues, “so I feel lucky and look after myself. Mickie Most, the band’s producer and New Faces panelist, died nine years ago, and few people attended her funeral. It prompts reflection.”
He recalls visiting a Moody Blues member’s house, which was considered a den of iniquity. Since none of the girls smoked marijuana, I hung around with them. A fly on the wall.
“I did like to drink—I used to go out with Richard Harris and try to drink more than him,” Noone joked.
“I loved the Beatles and Stones and wanted to hang out with them even though they were seven years older.
“We went to the Ad Lib club in London, and John Lennon would buy my drinks because he knew I was 16 and wouldn’t get drunk and beat someone up.”
Manchester-born Noone says he drank to blend in with others because he didn’t feel “interesting.”
The musician attended his first Alcoholics Anonymous meeting at 19 with his father, a heavy drinker.
I wouldn’t have called myself an alcoholic, but you have to be sensitive to people’s sentiments and perform on stage, so I cut down. I did it for me and haven’t touched a drop in 16 years.
“I insist that my wife still drinks if she wants to—I wouldn’t stop others from doing it.”
The multitalented entertainer married Mirielle 43 years ago. Noone met them at 20 while dating several ladies.
“I think it was probably lust at first sight with Mireille,” he says. “Then I discovered her kindness and fell in love.
She continued rejecting me, but she was on Ibiza with her mother, so I rented the place next door. I was respectful, so her mother liked me. I exhausted Mireille.”
Noone left the band at 24 in 1971 after marrying in 1968 and having a daughter, Nicole.
“Even though we were close in the beginning, by the end, we were ready to do different things.”
In the 1980s, he appeared in “Pirates of Penzance” on Broadway and hosted “My Generation” on U.S. television.
He was an American Idol mentor and voice coach a few years ago.
On the broadcast, he quipped, “If the Beatles had entered a TV competition, they’d probably lose. Although Simon Cowell seems lovely, I think he’s a secondhand Mickie Most.”
Noone said, “I was probably going to be a clerk at the local NatWest,” on the current tour. How lucky am I to still do this at 64? I know what I’m doing now. I’m no longer a shy youngster.”
Peter remains charming and cute at any age!
He’s gorgeous and still sings at 75.